1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to an open surgical forceps for grasping, treating, and/or cutting tissue.
2. Background of Related Art
A forceps is a plier-like instrument which relies on mechanical action between its jaw members to grasp, clamp, and constrict tissue. Electrosurgical forceps utilize both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to effect hemostasis by heating tissue to coagulate, cauterize, or otherwise treat tissue. Certain surgical procedures require more than simply coagulation and/or cauterization and rely on the unique combination of clamping pressure, precise electrosurgical energy control, and gap distance (i.e., the distance between opposing jaw members of the forceps when closed about tissue) to “seal” tissue.
Typically, once tissue has been treated, e.g., sealed, the user has to accurately sever the tissue along the newly formed tissue seal. Accordingly, many forceps have been designed which incorporate a knife or blade member which effectively severs the tissue after forming a tissue seal.